Word on the street is Ashanti and Nelly are not only back together, but they are expecting and married. St. Louis, Missouri, public records reviewed by USA Today confirm the couple were legally married December 27, 2023. Before this news broke, Ashanti told Entertainment Tonight they were still working out the details of the ceremony, but she knows “what month she wants the wedding to take place after the baby is born.”
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas-Haynes is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Douglas was born in Glen Cove, New York. Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor born in Austin, TX, but grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Nelly and Ashanti are what we call old-school sweethearts. They rekindled their romantic relationship in 2023. The 49- and 43-year-old musicians’ history dates back twenty years to 2003 when they first met. The hopeless romantic in me is ecstatic.
Like me, there are some other hopeless romantics out there who are equally happy, but of course, there are those who have a different opinion. Some people believe he cheated on her and that was the reason for their split, and in March 2015, during an appearance on the Meredith Vieira Show, Ashanti confirmed that she and Nelly had split due to a lack of trust in their relationship. She stated, “I think sometimes when people have their own insecurities, it allows them to act out of character. I have been betrayed. You just have to grow.” Some people just don’t want to let that go and are wishing that Ashanti did not give Nelly another chance. They were also unhappy that she got pregnant before he married her.
The couple sparked romance speculation in early 2003 after a Grammy event. For years, they would not confirm whether they were a couple or not. In 2015, Ashanti confirmed they were a couple until 2013. I can respect their opinions, but the hopeless romantic in me trumps those opinions every day. I am always down for the happily ever after. I am always down for a good reuniting; it feels so good. I want to believe they will have a happy ending. They have both lived and learned, and it is not like they planned this reunion. It is like the universe aligned and they found themselves back together after 10 years of separation.
Ashanti and Nelly reunited publicly for the first time while appearing on a Ja Rule and Fat Joe “Verzuz” battle in 2021. Ashanti later revealed she had no idea he was going to be there. She explained at the time that she had not seen him or spoken to him since they had broken up. In December 2022, the twosome performed “Body on Me,” which sparked rumors of their romantic connection. In September 2023, Nelly addressed his relationship with Ashanti on “Boss Moves with Rasheeda,” saying, “Yeah, we cool again.” He confirmed that the romance “surprised both of us though,” adding it wasn’t anything that was planned.
In October 2023, he posted on her birthday how beautiful and incredible she was and ended the birthday tribute with “Love Ya.” Following that, in November, Ashanti surprised Nelly with a vintage car that was his dream car since he was a kid. In December 2023, Us Weekly confirmed Ashanti was pregnant, which means the baby is due soon. This will be Ashanti’s first child. Nelly, however, has four kids: two biological kids with his ex and two he adopted when his sister passed away in 2005.
The question is: Why now? What has happened in his life? But he definitely seems to be doing things right so that he won’t lose her. Perhaps age has something to do with it, perhaps wisdom, but he spent the block, and the block is hot. Nelly threw Ashanti a surprise baby shower. In every photo, he is smiling so big. I know in this life that nothing is perfect, but if this is not real, please don’t send it to me because I am really looking forward to their happily ever after. We often fall in love with celebrities, and we fall out of love with them; this is according to how we interpret the things we read on the internet through our life experiences. Some of them may be true and some of them may be false.
In my opinion, the Ashanti and Nelly story would make a great movie, that I would watch over and over again! It’s right up there with Love Jones, Love and Basketball, and Brown Sugar. It is so refreshing to watch them in a time where toxic relationships get all of the praise. I honestly understand why some people are not happy about the rekindling of their romance. There are some that say Ashanti just wanted a baby due to her time clock ticking away. Others believe once a cheater, always a cheater. I hope that whatever broke them up 10 years ago is in the past and that they are mature enough to seek counseling as they prepare to parent together and live as a family. I believe the Universe just aligned things for them to get this second chance. I am very, very happy for them and I wish them their happily ever after. Reunited, and it feels so good, Reunited cause they understood. If there is one perfect fit, I think this pair is it! I am so excited for them; they are reunited and it feels so good!
